The Talented Voice Cast Behind the Animated Hit Rio

The Talented Voice Cast Behind the Animated Hit Rio

The 2011 computer-animated musical comedy film Rio instantly became a beloved family classic thanks to its vibrant imagery, toe-tapping musical numbers, and a stellar cast of voice actors bringing the colorful characters to life. Produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha, Rio transports viewers to the sensational city of the same name while delivering laughs, adventure, and memorable music.

Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway Lead the Flock

Headlining Rio’s cast are two hugely popular Hollywood stars: Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway. Eisenberg, known for films like Zombieland and The Social Network, voices Blu, a rare Spix's macaw who was smuggled from the rainforests of Rio de Janeiro as a hatchling. Although he lives comfortably with his human owner in Moose Lake, Minnesota, Blu never learned to fly and feels totally out of his element when he gets brought back to Rio. Eisenberg nails Blu’s neurotic and socially awkward personality, bringing plenty of awkward comedy while conveying Blu’s undeniable heart and soul.

The lovely Anne Hathaway effortlessly brings the fiery, feisty Jewel to colorful life. Jewel is a fiercely independent female Spix’s macaw who deeply laments the loss of her kind’s natural habitat and can’t wait to escape her confines in a Rio bird sanctuary. Hathaway has compared Jewel to some of her most famous onscreen roles in The Princess Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada in the sense that all three are strong, opinionated women. Her natural charisma and charm make Jewel impossible not to love.

Legendary Filmmaker Rodrigo Santoro Voices Blu's Nemesis

While Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway play the protagonists who reluctantly join forces, Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro taps into his sinister side as the villainous Nigel. This sulphur-crested cockatoo used to star in animal shows until he grew tired of captivity. After one too many abuses, Nigel snaps and uses his parkour talents to terrorize the citizens of Rio. Santoro delivers a scene-stealing performance, making Nigel both humorous and menacing. Interestingly, Santoro was offered the roles of either Blu or Nigel but was drawn to playing the villain.

Supporting Stars Capture the Excitement and Fun of Rio

No animated film is complete without a cast of eccentric supporting characters, and Rio’s crew helps kick the offbeat hijinks into high gear. Multi-talented musician and actor Jemaine Clement voices the greedy, egocentric cockatoo Mauro, while Black Panther’s Angela Bassett and comedian-actress Wanda Sykes provide plenty of laughs as a gossip-loving toucan and cheeky canary. The underrated Latin singer Bebel Gilberto’s sole film credit is breathing her captivating voice into the role of Blu’s caring human owner, Linda. Finally, film, television, and stage legend Leslie Mann also makes her animation debut as Linda’s lively aunt, bringing raw exuberance.

Finding the Essence of Brazilian Culture

Since Rio takes Blu far away from his comfortable American surroundings and thrusts him right into the heart of Brazil, director Carlos Saldanha took authenticity seriously. That’s why almost the entire supporting cast hails from Latin American countries and helped Saldanha ensure Rio embodied Brazilian culture. Columbian actress Sofia Scarpa Saldanha voices a tiny orphan bird named Tiny, while the renowned Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown plays the shaker-wielding rapping red-crested cardinal Pedro. Argentinian-Swedish actor Rico Rodriguez of Modern Family fame voices Blu’s poor-sighted but big-hearted friend, Tipa.

Capturing Rio's Magic Took Huge Effort Behind the Scenes

Of course, Rio never could have soared to creative heights without the exceptional contributions of the writers, animators, designers, and other production talents who meticulously crafted its story, characters, visuals, and music. Creating an animated film requires massive collaboration and artistic visions melding, which ultimately benefits audiences through emotional storytelling and technical mastery.

Writing Kept the Story Moving at a Lively Pace

Experienced screenwriter Don Rhymer, who worked on animated favorites like The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and Brother Bear, originally developed Rio’s offbeat premise and affectionate script. Sadly, Rhyner passed away barely a month after receiving his Rio writing credit. Still, his talents helped build a solid foundation. Rio’s creative team then hired screenplay consultant Carlos Kotkin to rework some dialogue and punch up scenes for maximum humor and memorability.

New Animation Innovations Created Dazzling Visuals

The visual artistry of Rio doesn’t just come from the setting’s lush colors; Blue Sky Studios also developed never-before-used rendering techniques and pushed animation technology to its limits. Their proprietary ray-tracing rendering software allowed much more realistic-looking lighting and textures like the shimmer of jewelry or glow of clouds and water. Animators also started extensively incorporating motion capture footage of themselves dancing the animated characters’ moves for unprecedented fluidity and personality.

Original Songs Complimented Score for Maximum Enjoyment

Animation veteran John Powell composed Rio’s lively, Latin music-inflected orchestral score that aptly captured the feeling of grand adventure in Brazil. But the songs penned by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown made the party complete. From the call-and-response duet “Real in Rio” to Jewel’s sexy solo number “Hot Wings (I Wanna Party),” the memorable tracks incorporated multiple genres like samba, rap, pop, and soul.

Rio Spawned a Fun Franchise and Spreads Positivity

Thanks to its family-friendly story, vibrant visuals, catchy music, and talented voice cast, Rio made nearly $500 million at the global box office. That big success prompted Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox to start planning sequels to keep enjoying these characters’ company.

Rio 2 Expanded the World of Blue Sky Studios' Hit

In 2014, Blue Sky released Rio 2 to theaters and brought back the entire principal voice cast alongside new members like Kristin Chenoweth voicing Blu’s bubbly poison dart frog friend Gabi. The sequel involves even grander tropical adventure with Blu, Jewel and company traveling deeper into the Amazon rainforest. There, Blu struggles to prove himself while Jewel is enthralled by encountering thriving wild flocks of their kind. Rio 2 explores themes of preserving nature and appreciating family while delivering more musical numbers and animated eye candy.

The Franchise Advocates for Environmental Protection

The Rio franchise smartly uses its escapist animation premise to highlight the importance of conservation. The first film revolves around the tragic disappearance of Spix's macaws from Brazil due to rampant poaching and rainforest destruction. And Rio 2 continues demonstrating the dangers that encroaching development and illegal activity pose to the Amazon's fragile ecosystems.

Even the fictional story of these rare blue birds being driven to near extinction mirrors reality. Spix’s macaws really are extinct in the wild, with less than 200 specimens surviving worldwide thanks to captive breeding programs and outside conservation efforts. So while Rio offers fun and wonder, it also spreads awareness.

Rio's Legacy Lives on as a Family Favorite

With the animation industry constantly evolving with new styles and technologies, Rio already seems nostalgic for millennial viewers who recall its 2011 release. At the same time, new generations keep discovering the beloved buddy story between awkward Blu and free-spirited Jewel. Parents who enjoyed the films in theaters now eagerly introduce their kids to the lovable characters.

Thanks to its stellar voice performances, catchy musical interludes, boldly colorful artwork, and universal themes that appeal to all ages, Rio remains an influential staple in Blue Sky Studios’ filmography while standing the test of time as simply great family entertainment. And there may still be more adventures featuring Jewel, Blu, and company down the line since Disney has ownership of the franchise.

FAQs

What kind of birds are the main characters?

Blu and Jewel are both blue macaws, specifically rare Spix's macaws that are endangered in the wild. Linda describes Blu as a "very brave bird" that is one of the last male blue macaws alive.

Where does Blu live at the start of the first Rio movie?

At the beginning of the first Rio movie, Blu lives in Moose Lake, Minnesota with his owner Linda. He was smuggled from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as a chick and grew up bonding with Linda in their small town.

How does Blu learn to fly?

Although Blu struggles flying being raised in Minnesota, he eventually learns by falling out of the smugglers' plane over Rio de Janeiro. Jewel then helps coach him, and he has his true flight breakthrough trying to save Jewel from Nigel at the end of the film.

Who provides the voice for Nigel the villainous cockatoo?

Acclaimed Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro voices Nigel. Santoro is known for roles in popular films like 300, Love Actually, and Westworld as well as Brazilian productions.

Where do Blu, Jewel and their family travel in Rio 2?

In the sequel Rio 2, Blu, Jewel, and their three kids journey deep into the Amazon rainforest when Jewel yearns to meet more rare blue macaws like them. There they encounter colorful new characters and tribes of Jewel's kind of wild macaws.